When I started this post, there were literally only a few hours left of summer. It is now the first day of autumn. I need to burn a candle. I decorated for fall last week, seemed early but didn’t feel early. Still not ready for Hocus Pocus or Practical Magic.

August was a blur, so was most of September for that matter. I feel like I now have my head above water, “my list” is  shrinking by the day. It is such a good feeling…

I was going to name this post, F You Aphids… All six of my beautiful brussels are covered with the little bastards.  How do you compete with something that sticks to the leaf, reproduces asexually and has a million babies…?

Other than that, things are good.

Wags, Mrs. Wags, Becca and Bove.

(My mother likes to know who’s in pictures…)

Pants and Frank.

Care package for some of my favorites…

I made concord grape jam! It was fantastic, it made me want to make sourdough bread. I sent the only jar to my pops. (Of course before I took a picture.)

The people who get my house are going to love it…. The grape vine will most likely collapse the garage in another five years, they will be able to make kickass jam until then.

I love pattypan squash, I will grow them always.

How did I ever not love onions…? Since the ones I grew this year are mostly the size of golf balls, I have been throwing them into whatever onion-loving dish whole. Pure heaven after two hours in a dutch oven.

I have made a root cellar out of a rubbermaid tote and four bags of sand.

Thank goodness, that’s a shit-ton of beets.

I learned this year that watermelon plants can not dry out, if they do, the flowers dry up and NEVER come back.

I got these two beauties though.

My favorite Mr. turned 40 since last we chatted. I had every intention of writing a post for him that day, we did this instead.

Good birthday party group…

Kristy, Andee and Melissa

Rudy, Mike (J’s cousin) Kristy (Mike).

Matt (legs), Becca, Michelle, J, Dante (Michelle).

I get a handful of these gems every morning. They are big and perfect and remind me of the ones we used to pick off Marie’s bushes on the way to and from the swimming pool when we were kids.

Good times…

Ha! My carrots might be a bit more on the less fruitful side. I didn’t thin them like I should have. They still taste like heaven.

These are my favorite tomatoes. I will always grow them. I say that every year.

Ground cherries are a hit! I’m going to make jam as soon as they all have fallen. They’re still going strong.

My habaneros are the most beautiful color this year. They are a deep, deep orange, almost red.

We tried to view the northern lights… no go.  The moon was too bright and the clouds rolled in.

Looks like the old westerns that were filmed during the day with a dark filter.

I learned an important zen lesson during this picture.

I have mastered blanching kale… I would have left it up since its fine in the cold but those aphids were traveling over from the brussels.

Throw a metal colander in a canning pot, strain the water off after two minutes in a salad spinner and freeze. wa la

Happy first day of Autumn, Loves!!

It’s going to be a great fall… New beginnings are so refreshing.

 

 

Three blogs in less than two weeks, madness!

I wanted you to see what my garden looks like now, not a month ago…

Date night out, courtesy of my photo lab. Thanks WHCC!

Two raspberries (from our bush), for our two magnificent hosts.

I get about two a day… That’s good in my book.

This is the most beautiful pepper I have ever seen, and my first purple. I hated to eat it.

Ground cherries.

Beans.

 

Red and yellow beets.

Pattypan squash.

Cucumber.

Spaghetti Squash.

Watermelon.

Grapes.

Raspberry bush.

Pumpkin.

And the flower waiting room.

Tomatoes.

Magic beans.

We have been slowly trying to make the yard a little more uhhhh, pretty… It has looked like a work in progress for two years. Here’s a before (it looks like shit so I hope it’s before) I’ll post an “after” very soon…

A little garden gnome came over to help remove grass.

Mint… And the second red tomato from my garden!

Happy horseradish month, Loves!

I married into a great family! I have the best time with them…

Every other year we meet in Ocean City NJ for a week by the water.

Orange/Vanilla custard right off the bat! Of course…

Challenge accepted!

The other cloud rainbow…

Photo albums of family past…

What a good uncle…

And home again… Out to sushi with friends/dog sitters.

 

 

 

What a glorious day…! I am loving right now.

Change is in the air for our little family…

We will be in a different part of the country next year… We have narrowed it down, but haven’t chosen. All I care is my husband will no longer have his current job. The rest is butter, and I looooove butter.

I welcome change, I get absolutely no anxiety from it. Bring it on!

Did you know sprinkles on the East Coast are called jimmies? Now you do…

Another good one turns 40. Blurry, but still adorable.

This little guy…

Ha! Lynn, your face makes me laugh. Whachoo talkin bout Willis?

On to patio Sunday…Funday.

I have never seen a “cloud rainbow” (or whatever they’re called). Within a week I saw two, the other will be on my vacation post (coming soon).

Magic Beans: given to me, I have no idea what they are…

Peas are my favorite…

Parsley.

Cilantro.

Ground cherry.

Spaghetti Squash.

Beans.

Pattypan squash.

The last of my peppers got kicked outside. (Holy crap these images are old.)

Almost hollyhocks…

I went to a plant auction put on by my garden club. I forgot to photograph the little seedlings I brought, they were cute, take my word for it.

I came home with a couple…

This was my prize of the day! I had to put a 90 year old woman in a choker hold to get it.

My last rhubarb harvest of the season… It got made into two strawberry rhubarb pies for vacation. J’s dad and I ate one between the two of us.

I dried these peas. I’m gong to plant them this fall. Maybe they’ll grow… That is the last step to full gardening badassness.

What a lucky girl I am… My three handsome dates for a night in the city.

Mmmm, snails. So good I didn’t photograph them before they were gone.

For Becca… She will be the only one to get it anyway.

Happy Pandemonium Day, Loves… Embrace the chaos!

Jersey vacation pix are right around the corner…

 

 

I don’t even want to hear it…

Yes, two months is too long to go between blogs.

I have been stretched so thin since I got home from Montana, every aspect of my life is suffering. I have been playing the “squeaky wheel gets the oil” game, not my favorite. I have anxiety  all the time,  I can’t relax.

I am a person who hates excuses from others, I don’t give them myself… So for the last two months I have just appeared to be dumbass who can’t get anything done.

While I write this post, there are three cards full of images ready to go for the next one.

I have to start somewhere…

I don’t even remember my trip, the images help… I do remember this hat in the airport when I was leaving though. For those who don’t know… Montana State, baby! He thought I was weird. I’m used to it.

Typical Montana weather welcoming me home.

I stayed with my sister who lives in my Grandparents old house, I spent many a day there in my youth. This is the door to the dress-up closet… Now it’s her crazy cat’s favorite spot.

“The Aunts…”  My dad’s sisters. VERY cool trio.

And I got my Auntie Mary’s goulash, (American chop suey to you New Englanders) a must have!

I was there to photograph this perfect little couples wedding. Good peeps.

And gems!

I love being back where the waitress automatically brings ranch to the table with your order. And it’s good ranch, not the creepy clear-ish substance that passes for ranch on the east coast.

I was lucky enough to get to spend time with almost everyone I set out to see.

Ahhh… I love you Mas Taco.

Yup, it totally runs in the family…

AND, a very Happy Birthday to this guy! You are the best brother in the world! I so happy you were born first.

And back home I go… (I have two homes.)

And on to the garden olympics!

Starting with dirt. YUM!

My shiny new potato box! (My potatoes are already two feet tall.)

It’s like posting newborn photos of a baby that’s now a year old.

My first rhubarb cutting! I was so proud of myself.

My lilies of the valley came back! I thought they were goners….

This is an ugly picture but it’s a tulip that is actually growing in MY yard, so I had to include it.

My nephew sent me a ton of these butterflies for Mother’s Day, they are stuck all over my yard… Thank you sweet boy!

Yup, I think photographing while driving should not be allowed…

I love helping with friends’ gardens…

CAKE!!

This mint chocolate chip ice cream actually tasted like mint, like real mint. I must replicate…

I like to finish with ice cream.

I’m not even going to proofread, I just NEED to get this crossed off my list!

Happy ball point pen day, Loves… I feel like sticking one in my eye.

I love you all!

My little black cloud is back… obviously.  Well, it was back, I was so wretched even it couldn’t stand me and  left.

I wish I was all happy, happy, happy! (or better at faking it) but that is not life…

So, to all of you who feel less than perky this time of year, you are not alone, and it will go away.

It’s kinda hard to see the ring around the moon… I have never seen one this wide before. Very cool!

Healing trip to the ocean for me and the princess. She gets sad this time of year too.

The beach was packed with doggies and their pets. You could feel the collective sigh from everyone there. We weren’t the only ones who needed the sun and ocean.

Sugar tolerating me and the weird black thing stuck to my face…

One of my images is in the 2014 Organic Gardener desk calendar, at the beginning of March.

I got a free calendar out of the deal…

This image…

I have lots of new babies in the basement…

Brussels.

Tomatoes.

Onions.

And new this year, broccoli rabe.

My christmas cactus is blooming again… What a nice surprise.

Happy Sunday Loves! I hope we all feel a bit more cheerful next time we meet.

I turned 36 since last we met… And what goes best with birthdays? Bloody Mary’s… and seven bottles of champagne. Thank you all for the celebration!

Friends are my favorite.

At 36, I still have only found three grey hairs (that I promptly pulled out). That really means nothing, but I can’t think of anything else to say about it.

It is going to be a great year…!

Thanks Lew!

Walks have been few and far between… The weather this winter has been cold, sucky and covered in salt.

I’m over it.

I want spring.

I wake up to the most beautiful light this time of year (when the sun comes out, that is).

Every morning when I head to work I am surrounded by ups trucks, we must leave at the same time. Makes me miss my brother… No matter where I am in the world, when I see a ups truck, I look to see if it’s him.

YAY!!!!!!

My idea of a perfect day…

I started my peppers and onions… Inside seed starting helps me fight my “black cloud”.

A little bit of sunshine in February.

This turkey was meant to be mine…

The Mr. had a boys day with his friends…

So we had a girls day. I love my girls.

Seed Bombs! If you see random sunflowers growing around Boston… I don’t know anything about it.

Outside my work…

I’M IN A GARDEN CLUB!!!!!

I went to my first meeting last week… I love all of them, truly the nicest group of ladies. They spend most of the time laughing. Gardening and happiness, best way to spend a morning.

They made me feel so welcome. I can’t wait for next month.

You sure are pretty, but I still hate you…

Black tea with cream, my new morning addiction.

Oysters in the city with friends… Twas a grand time!

I just love this picture…

I love seeing what others come up with while trying to use my camera, makes me laugh. In her defense it was dark and my lens was being a bit of a whore.

Corned beef and cabbage is coming!!!!

Happy International World Thinking Day, Loves! That means anyone around you is allowed to smack you for being an idiot.

It is also Walk the Dog Day… And she knows it, she is crawling all over me and laying on my keyboard.

Time to be done.

Happy Birthday to my very best friend…

You are so much of who I am… thank you for not being a dirt bag.

Love you more than words can say!

Words to live by…

Every time I feel myself slipping, I repeat these four words. Try it… It doesn’t have to be these words, find words that inspire you…

• Happy = content
• Healthy mind, healthy body.
• Wise…  Better yourself through knowledge and good judgement. (Quite the opposite of myself 15 years ago.)
• You never know what someone is up against, always try to make someone’s day better, not worse. Be kind.

So much goes through my head this time of year, I LOVE new beginnings… I am so excited for 2014!! Before that I have to close out 2013… I will start with brussels sprouts.

Be very jealous, they were fantastic! We had friends over for our now annual Thanksgiving left-over party. We decided it was a good time to share our last bit of garden. I’m just so excited to have grown them… from seed I might add!

My mom’s cranberry sauce ranks up there with sunshine. And makes me miss her like crazy!

Fire… Of course!

We stayed in the city for  my favorite holiday, St. Nick Day.  Chicago has nothing on downtown Boston. The wind whips around those buildings… pure misery. We have decided to save our weekends in the city to warmer months. It’s no fun if you can’t walk around. My husband is a saint for putting up with me when I’m hungry or cold. God save us all if those two ever happen at the same time.

However, inside was a blast!

The view from our room…

Honey! I’m home…

Jazz brunch at the Beehive….

I’ve been searching for these for-EVER! I remember making them when I was little. Fun times.

He is such a good sport…

Right after I took this picture, the cookie sheet popped and we had to re-do all of them. Son of a bitch… We got to make them twice… twice the fun.

While my princess took an unusually long stiffing break, I stood and listened to this little guy play Christmas carols. They played so soft the sound of my footsteps would have drowned them out. Lucky for me  my dog is sloooowwwwwww.

The last picture of my 1000 year old windows. We finally got them replaced… on one of the coldest days of the year. My poor husband froze his ass off while Wynn and I got to go to work. Love, love, love  New Hampshire for allowing dogs in salons.

Winter cilantro.

The only image from our Solstice party. It was a blast! Love our little group…

There is a crazy  four hour parade that winds through Lynn on Christmas Eve, lucky for us it goes down the street less than a minute from our house. So with hot chocolate in hand we headed to the festivities…. Perfect Christmas Eve.

The Mr. got homemade corned beef hash in his stocking…

My Christmas present (insert squeal of delight). Normally I don’t open Christmas presents before Christmas but J knew I would want to open it before. My mom gave me most of her record collection including all her Christmas music. I almost cry every time I play a record, they bring back so many childhood memories. I’m beyond thankful…

I got this ornament last summer while shopping with my oldest sister at one of our favorite antique places. Sadly it was our last trip, they’re closed now…

One of my favorite thrift store finds…

Baby cilantro.

My husband makes a mean lamb stew…

Snow day! Again…

She has missed this spot so much…  Even though it has been freaking cold pretty much every day, when the sun shines bright, I let her go hang on the porch.

She is my sunshine…

I know I’m very late in saying this,  but a very Merry Christmas  just the same, Loves!  AND Happy 2014,  I hope it’s the best one yet. It’s gonna be for us, I can feel it.

P.S. WordPress used to notify me when someone commented on a post, they do not do that anymore, so I don’t get your comments until I log in to write a new post. Please forgive me for responding late… Love to you ALL!!

Happy Thanksgiving Loves!!

I’m finishing up my turkey brine for the turkey I’m cooking tomorrow night. I do love turkey… and Thanksgiving, and friends coming to dinner.

I can’t say I’ve always been a thankful person, I used to be an unappreciative pain in the ass. I guess that’s part of being a youngest child. It certainly had nothing to do with my parents, they taught us well, it just took a while for their lessons to sink in.

I am most thankful for my parents, without them nothing else comes into play. Everything I am thankful for somehow stems from them, even if it’s in a very round about way. They made me a thankful person…

Some say it’s crap to only be thankful on Thanksgiving. I think most are thankful every day, they just voice it on Thanksgiving.

Here is my list:

• My husband thanks me at every meal.
• I get to have a garden.
• I have a job that makes people feel beautiful. I love hearing, “it’s perfect, it’s exactly what I wanted…” with a huge smile on their face.

• I get to go to bed when I’m tired and wake when I’m rested.
• I am healthy.
• I have access to good quality food.
• My husband and I like the same food.

• I have loving in-laws. When you marry an only boy with three sisters, things could get ugly… they never have.
• Right when I wrote the above, I got a message from my sister in-law “Happy Thanksgiving, miss and love you!”
• My mom taught me to cook.
• My parents still love each other.
• My siblings and how much we love each other.
• I get new windows in 18 days.
• I remember most of my dreams.

• Growing my very first pumpkin.
• This post keeps getting interrupted with texts from friends and family with messages of love and thankfulness.
• My family loves my husband.
• Photography came to me at just the right moment in my life. I still remember exactly where I was at that moment.
• I live in an area where the seasons are all equal.
• I grew the brussels sprouts I’m making tomorrow night.
• My friends.
• My education, and the people I met during.
• I get to talk to my mom all the time, and usually for no less than an hour.
• 16 nieces and nephews.
• I was fairly young when all my grandparents passed away, but my husband lets me borrow his grandma. She gave me this Christmas cactus, it’s blooming right now.

• After four years of my goldfish plant not blooming, I finally got a fish!

• My house and all my treasures.

My basement insulation…

These were my grandma Natalie’s…

For a year the women in my life scoured thrift stores for amber and  green glass for my wedding. I have it all over my house. I can see four different pieces from where I sit. They remind me of that beautiful September day, and those great ladies who helped make it so perfect.

I finally got my back porch, yard,  and garden tucked away for the winter. It was the most perfect late fall day. The light was amazing, not anything “beautiful” I don’t think most people would think it was anything special. It was thick and grey and clear, the colors were saturated and hazy at the same time. I know a picture is worth a 1000 words, but there was a feeling that went with it that couldn’t be captured with any lens. It was one of those moments you put your camera away and just soak it in.

My hand print from kindergarden. I did not like my kindergarden teacher, but I am thankful for this.

I am very strict on no Christmas before Thanksgiving… Actually, I don’t like Christmas between Halloween and the day after Thanksgiving. However, I always choose a Christmas wine charm at the Wags’,  I keep Christmas lights up year-round, and I buy vintage Christmas treasures whenever I see them.

Cheese! with a face full of cheese…

• This little girl is always happy to see me when I come home, even if I’ve only been gone ten minutes.

My Mr. and two of his more ambitious friends did the Spartan Race at Fenway… He dislocated his toe right out of the gate, had Rudy pop it back in and finished the race, he is such a badass.

A very happy day of turkey dinner,  family, and thankfulness Loves! I’m off to make pie.

• Pie.